Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Review
Bohemian Rhapsody
Those who were willing to brave the brutally realistic medieval world of the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance found, nestled within its many unforgiving gameplay systems, a singular experience worthy of the time it took to come to grips with it. Its sequel is absolutely cast from the same mold, taking zero prisoners in its inspired portrayal of turn-of-the-fifteenth-century Bohemian life. All this was wholly expected, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance II brings so much more to the table, including one of the richest and most enjoyable narratives in recent memory, an unforgettable rogue’s gallery of characters, and an incredibly rewarding and flexible role-playing experience, full stop. It’s no hyperbole to say that this is one of the most worthwhile experiences in the genre, and any RPGamer will be the richer for putting in the work to experience it.
The game takes place mere months after the previous one ended, and while it represents a new chapter, it’s highly recommended players be familiar with the people and events that preceded it. Players once again take on the role of Henry of Skalitz, who has embraced his newfound role as companion and manservant to Hans Capon of Pirkstein. Much as its predecessor, KC:DII is set against the historically accurate backdrop of the struggle over Bohemia’s crown, with its monarch Wenceslas having been imprisoned by his brother Sigismund. With the kingdom split on whom to support as the rightful ruler, the political alliances of its nobles shift unpredictably to one side or the other, swaying unpredictably between king and usurper.
After a brief flash-forward that teases some major troubles for the game’s heroes on the horizon, players catch up with the duo as they arrive in the region of Trosky, far away from the reliable safety net of their native Sasau, to deliver a letter. Lord Otto von Bergow is an influential noble supporting the usurper Sigismund, and Henry and Hans have been sent as envoys to win him over to their liege’s side of the political divide. While the previous game made no bones about using this period of political upheaval as a platform to prop up Henry’s revenge tale, the sequel dives deeply into this political hotbed, bringing Henry face-to-face with some of the big movers and shakers over its course. It honestly feels like an interactive history lesson, in the best and most entertaining possible way.
Welcome back to Bohemia!
That comes later, however. As Henry and Hans arrive in the Trosky region, things quickly go from good to bad to worse as they are greeted by marauding bandits and barely manage to escape with their lives. Reduced to beggars with nothing but the clothes on their backs in an unknown and possibly hostile area, it’s up to the player to right the ship and claw their way back up the social ladder to fulfill their mission. That alone would be enough to fill the runtime of lesser games, but Kingdom Come II‘s story continues to expand well past the events suggested by this early premise and reaches some extremely satisfying highs, including daring rescues, harrowing hardships, and many more exciting adventures. The less specifics revealed the better, but those with a penchant for narrative will find lots to love here. Warhorse’s writing continues to be excellent, and the studio has cut no corners in terms of scope, easily doubling what the first game brought to the table, with a main campaign that weaves an epic yarn filled with humor, pathos, and satisfying twists and turns.
Head writer Daniel Vávra and his team have expertly flexed their writing chops, crafting an epic that’s nothing short of amazing. While our returning heroes receive some much-appreciated character growth when Henry and Hans’s relationship is put to a crucial test in the game’s early hours, the massive supporting cast, comprised of rough-and-tumble outlaws, anarchists, spies, lords, and ladies makes for a veritable Who’s Who of the 15th-century Bohemian war for the crown. These characters go far beyond faceless names on a page or mere conversation partners for Henry to interact with. The game expertly paces itself and takes its time not only introducing characters in memorable ways that further the narrative but also allows Henry plenty of opportunity to form bonds with each of them through their many shared experiences along the way. The whole production resembles an ensemble more than anything, with one of the best overall casts I’ve had the pleasure to grow close with during my long gaming career.
The entirety of the cast absolutely oozes character, with some of the most memorable faces and vocal performances breathing life into the experience at every turn. Take Hynek the Dry Devil, a nobleman-turned-cutthroat-rebel with a one-of-a-kind worn and weathered face. His skill with a blade provides an almost palpable sense of security when he’s watching Henry’s back, though his unpredictable nature means any errant comment may cause him to search said back for a place to stick a dagger instead. Or there’s Jan Zizka, a Bohemian Robin Hood leader of outlaws who seems ever in danger of permanently losing an eye, a brooding and somber type who is fiercely loyal to his friends and to the cause. Though these and other characters are ripped straight from the pages of history, their portrayals here — some affable or pompous, some erratic or crass — really bring color to this chapter in the history text, thanks to the talented actors bringing them to life. Within the many, many interactions, the characters express genuine care and affection for one another, bond over loads of raucous and ribald humor, stand by each other’s side as they suffer through hard times, and frequently clash and brawl over differences of opinion. Even among the hundreds of voiced characters across the game’s open world, many sport accurate Slavic, German, French, African, or Yiddish accents, with the remainder of the Bohemian population generally conveyed via British fall-backs, making the world feel as immersive as the narrative.
A new adventure means new friends, new foes, and new loves.
The overall look of KC:DII can easily be described as gorgeous, despite the fact that this beauty oftentimes reveals itself through poorly lit castle courtyards, impoverished villages with muddy streets churned into frothing messes by criss-crossing wagon wheel ruts, and what might be the single most rained-upon countryside around. Still, Bohemia is far more than mud and filth. Verdant meadows that stretch as far as the eye can see are frequently bordered by deep woods full of dense foliage and forest paths where wild game crashes through the undergrowth. Roadside streams splash along to accompany Henry on his rides, while larger lakes are brown and soupy with algae. It’s incredible that one can simply pick a random location to begin a nature walk from, and marvel at the environment in all its glory: farmers’ fields stretching into the distance, here a barn or solitary home, there a church, and all around livestock grazing on the local flora. Nearer to civilization, the flow of traffic will become heavier, while pastures give way to vineyards, and eventually the walls and roofs of a nearby settlement.
All of this is accompanied by a natural soundtrack that really sells the beauty, showcasing the swish of grass, the buzz of insects, and the clanging and tolling of city-life when visiting Kuttenberg. Taking in the sights and sounds of Bohemia in all its natural glory is truly magical, and enough to discourage one from making use of the game’s fast-travel system, as gallopping through the open countryside is just so satisfying. There’s plenty of atmospheric music to accompany Henry on his adventures, as well as a big focus on period-appropriate compositions to make scenes come alive, like when Henry attends a wealthy landowner’s wedding while a live band plays jaunty jigs on authentic instruments (even if the musical style might not be to everyone’s personal taste). Overall, there’s very little to bring down the presentation, apart from the odd glitch or graphical pop-in, and even these seemed to be addressed in patches as they decreased noticeably during the review playthrough.
With all the talk of the game’s historical accuracy, it’s worth a reminder that Kingdom Come is not primarily a medieval history lecture. Even though Henry has found a foothold at the court of Sir Radzig Kobyla, serving at the side of the young Lord Capon, the ghosts of his past have by no means abandoned him. The sequel makes good cinematic use of Henry’s inner turmoil about his adoptive parents’ deaths by seeing him hounded by tortured visions and fever dreams, reminding the player of the unfinished campaign of revenge that he has clearly not forgotten about. The sequel provides Henry no shortage of opportunities to hound down his targets, from the slippery Istvan Toth to the imposing warrior Markvart von Aulitz. While both new and returning villains are fleshed out with some unexpected fresh wrinkles, Henry also forges new alliances, sows the seeds for potential romances, and makes startling discoveries about his family that have far-reaching consequences. The narrative is a complex web born of a simple impetus, and the further it reaches the more inescapably tangled within his country’s struggle Henry becomes.
In a series first, Kuttenberg offers a full-fledged large city to explore.
The action is spread over two massive maps, each of which is dotted with farms, villages, forests, roadside taverns, castles, camps, and, in a series first, the full-fledged city of Kuttenberg, complete with shopping districts, cathedrals, town squares, fountains, and an entire Jewish ghetto. Though at first restricted to the first map, players can eventually travel between the two maps at will to explore and complete the many well-written sidequests available. But every now and then, the narrative will take over and restrict players’ access to travel or side activities while playing through a prescribed section of gameplay. These sections are memorable story beats that allow the opportunity to revel in some aspect of the medieval experience, be it attending the aforementioned wedding celebration, racing against the literal chime of the bell tower to save a friend who’s been sentenced to death, or even a fascinating depiction of living through a wartime siege, hemmed into a fortress keep for days and weeks on end while enemy soldiers attempt to scale the walls, supplies begin to run low, and widespread hunger and sickness threaten a brutal and miserable end. In a game full of open-world diversions, it’s these set pieces that shine particularly bright even while they put the player through the proverbial wringer.
With such a focus on crafting a realistic medieval world to come to grips with, it’s equally important that Kingdom Come II also offers players a deep role-playing experience that’s sure to please. Henry can go through his adventure in a variety of ways, focusing on a more combat-oriented approach as a soldier, picking a stealthy way through trouble as a scout, or even side-stepping the dangers of combat by relying on his charisma to talk his way out of trouble. For the review playthrough, Henry leant on his training as a blacksmith to help him find work and earn coin in settlements, craft items needed to fulfill quest objectives and even get him in the good graces of important townspeople and local leaders, opening further doors down the road. When taking on the game’s more complicated set pieces, Henry can try to achieve his goals in a multitude of different ways depending on the player’s chosen playstyle; to enter the upper chambers of an enemy fortress, for example, Henry can prove his worth by assisting the captain of the guards, pick locks and sneak his way in carefully when the guards aren’t watching, win back a treasured keepsake in a game of chance, offer his services to the keep’s cook or blacksmith, or even attempt to locate the secret entrance at the bottom of the nearby well.
Options, however, don’t mean that things will be easy, and those who experienced the previous entry know first-hand how devious its many skill-based systems are. The adage “practice makes perfect” is one that players will need to become intimately familiar with to enjoy a reliable chance of success at pickpocketing, lockpicking, and even melee combat in KC:DII. Whether it’s the finicky nature of the lockpicking mini-game, the timer dooming Henry’s early pickpocketing attempts, or just the unforgiving nature of the hand-to-hand combat system that relies heavily on directional attack inputs, reading enemy attack stances, and managing an ever-depleting stamina pool while struggling to dole out damage in return, victory must be earned. This does lead to some situations feeling unfairly stacked against poor Henry, when the game may force players who haven’t developed a stealthy gameplay approach into hiding in the shadows for a particular mission, or during several key story moments where combat ceases to be optional and even golden-tongued orators are forced to take on two, three, or more opponents single-handedly and all at once.
Make friends if possible, because combat is as cutthroat as it always has been.
The bulk of gameplay systems are largely unchanged from the previous installment. Combat, however, is slightly simplified, insofar as the five-pointed targeting reticule representing an opponent’s vital areas has now been reduced to four zones: the head, both sides, and a general forward thrust to the midsection, with some weapons reducing this even further. While swinging a weapon drains Henry’s stamina meter, it is important to not let this run out altogether, as stamina doubles as protection, with enemy attacks only causing lasting damage to health once it’s fully depleted. The simple yet deceptively addicting dice-throwing gambling mini-game also makes a return, and it’s surprisingly easy to while away the hours (and potentially lose one’s purse) locked in competition at a gambling table. Saving — apart from the game’s auto-save system — requires the use of specially brewed save potions, though the game automatically saves when quitting to the menu, allowing for an easy way to reattempt many tricky parts. Finally, there is once again a codex to peruse, offering detailed analyses on life in medieval Bohemia, including everything from the fashion and architecture of the times to the personages and locations encountered in the narrative.
From just about any standpoint, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is an unequivocal triumph. Although the game adheres to a strict philosophy of medieval realism — and, as such, includes some trying sections, particularly for certain builds — there is just nothing else quite like it. Steeped in historical fact, and allowing for a deep level of role-playing immersion, the continuation of Henry of Skalitz’s tale is a masterclass of storytelling filled with an unforgettable cast of characters, many of whom are pulled straight from the pages of history. The game’s scope is also greatly expanded, with one narrative twist or turn after another, as well as some heavy-hitting set pieces to round out the experience. Simply put, the team at Warhorse has created a banger of an RPG, and a must-play for fans of the genre.
Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.
Epic story that's one of the richest in recent memory
Amazingly detailed world, historically accurate and beautiful to look at
Wealth of options enable great degree of role-playing
Unforgettable cast of characters
Greatly expands on the original in nearly every way
Combat is (still) tough as nails
Most skills require mastery of challenging mini-games first
It (eventually) ends
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